Previous research has shown that deaf individuals who do not have access
to conventional sign or spoken language have difficulty exactly
representing quantities larger than 4 (Spaepen, et al. 2011).
Internationally, Deaf and hard of hearing students typically lag behind
their hearing classmates in mathematics achievement. There is a pressing
need to ensure that these students learn mathematics and are able to
advance academically with equal access to science and mathematics
education. Recent research suggests that early language development
affects young children's cognitive representations of numbers and their
number vocabulary. A delay in language exposure, which occurs for more
than 90% of children who are deaf or hard of hearing, may negatively
impact number development. It is also unknown whether children who
acquire sign language early in life follow similar trajectories of
development as do hearing children. I will report on the early stages of
research examining how language experiences affects the development of
number representations, symbols and words. Project activities will also
include studies about how parents and children can be trained to improve
number learning. Results are expected to provide information to
parents, educators and researchers about how to help deaf or hard of
hearing children learn number concepts to promote mathematical
development. I will also discuss recent and ongoing research in our lab
examining the effects of severe language deprivation on social cognition
and executive functioning. These results will have implications for
theory as well as for practice.